You're here! We're so happy to have you.
It's time for another delivery of Uplifting Stories - all geared to boost hopefulness and make you believe in humanity again.
We always say this, but it's so important to balance the information you are consuming. There's a lot of negative, controversial messaging out there. But there are also plenty of stories that can lift your spirit and remind you that kindness still counts, and people are still trying to help each other.
This week, we've collected stories about:
After studying happiness for years as an academic, Christopher Boyce left it all behind to discover a different way to experience the emotion. He then spent many months traveling by bicycle, with a plan to make his way to the small country of Bhutan.
On the way, he learned a few important things about happiness, including finding deeper connections for what happiness means:
Did you know that Bhutan (Located between Tibet and India) bases all of its national policy decisions on happiness? It's true. The Gross National Happiness Index started as a philosophy all the way back in 1998 as a way to gauge the wellbeing of the people who live there.1 In 2008, it was introduced as a way to measure:
I highly encourage reading the whole article here.
We already knew that being outside, particularly in green spaces was good for your mind and body - but it could also mean less need for certain mental health drugs.
A Finnish study2 of 16,000 adults in and around capital city Helsinki determined that people who live in urban environments and visit green spaces more frequently were associated with less frequent use of drugs related to depression, anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure and asthma.
Participants were asked to disclose what type of medications they were using, as well as how many times a week they spent time in green spaces.
The green spaces included:
The study looked at people who were actually spending time in and around these green spaces, as well as those who could just see green and blue spaces (Water bodies) from where they lived. They found that those who were more frequently visiting green spaces showed less frequent use of these drugs.
Talk about a cool school project - a group of 26 high school students from 9 districts in Oakland County in Michigan came together to build a house in just 7 months.
Guided by teacher Aaron Swett, students are not only helping provide affordable housing, they're also learning transferrable skills that will give them a leg up when they go into the workforce.
"This class is perfect for students that are like me - I struggled to sit in the class and I struggled to listen to the lectures. But, if you got me in a hands-on environment, I could start to shine - and that's what these students are seeing." - Aaron Swett, Instructor
From the blueprints all the way to the final stages, these students are also picking up valuable experience that can help them get jobs, head to school in construction management and become apprentices. Win-win!
Cincinnati's Kevin Bonecutter has tasked himself with completing 143 acts of kindness in 40 days.
It started with a simple triangle of neglected grass and a sad bush off the side of the road. He decided to do something about it. Now he mows lawns in vacant lots and picks up garbage around the city.
"The whole idea is to be out here spreading 143 random acts of kindness, but really spreading love and kindness throughout the entire community. I want to inspire other people to also say, 'Yeah, I want to do this as well,' and let it be a ripple effect. There's enough negativity, let's start some positive ripples and see how far it can go."3 - Kevin Bonecutter
Kevin recently received a surprise donation from a local pizza place to help complete another one of his acts - handing out pizza and drinks outside a local church.
He said he had planned everything except placing the order for 20 pizzas - when he got a message from NYPD Pizza owner Kevin Leidecker, who wanted to contribute 18 pizzas to help with the day.
Kevin also hands out Random Acts of Kindness cards as he's out helping people, hoping to create a ripple effect and inspire others to join him in spreading positivity and kindness in his community and beyond.
Oh - and why 143 acts of kindness? One of his heroes, Mr. Rogers, used 143 as a code to say, "I love you." (The numbers equal the amount of letters in each word.)
And that wraps it up for this week!
As always, if you have any Uplifting Stories of your own, you can contact us in the comments below, or reach out on our Instagram page. We might just share your story in a future article.
Thanks everyone for reading, and have an uplifting week ahead. Take care and see you next week!
1 https://weall.org/resource/bhutan-gross-national-happiness-index
2 This research is published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
3 From Local12 News article
Photo by Brad Weaver on Unsplash
LATEST
August 19, 2025
August 17, 2025
August 17, 2025
CATEGORIES
Wake up to dailymotivation!
Get Motivational Quotes, Affirmations, and insightful content delivered to your inbox every morning!
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
